By Joshua Boyd / USPHLPremier.com
Eoin Reager is moving on to Post University, an NCAA Division II school playing in the Northeast-10 Conference, after a long and decorated career in the United States Premier Hockey League.
Reager, a native of Foxboro, Mass., is coming off a USPHL Premier All-Star season which itself followed an earlier USPHL Elite All-Star campaign in 2021-22. In total, Reager played in 138 career USPHL junior games, and that proved to be the right Pathway To College Hockey for the two-year MadHatters blueliner.
“After talking to Coach [Tim] Richter over the summer, I feel I have a good opportunity to make an impact right from the start with Post. After meeting some of the players, too, I really like the type of people they have in the program,” said Reager. “As far as academically, I think it will be a very good fit since they have the major I want to pursue. Since the school has many athletes, I know the school will help me work around hockey and keep me up with school during the season.”
Reager joined the MadHatters Premier team out of the USPHL Elite’s Boston Junior Bruins in 2022-23, and was extremely pleased with his two seasons in Atlanta, and how it prepared him for college hockey. For his Premier career, he finished with 68 points in 96 combined regular season and playoff games, including five Premier games with the Junior Bruins. This year, he put up 38 points in 42 regular season games for Atlanta to stand as one of the few defensemen to lead his team in scoring.
“My time in Atlanta grew me as a player and person more than I could have imagined. In my two years, I had two different coaches, but I can’t be more grateful for both,” said Reager. “Paul Flache and Tyler Casillo both helped me elevate my game as a player, leader, and person. During my seasons there, they helped me understand the work that goes into being successful at the college hockey level.”
Reager joined the Elite’s Junior Bruins from Foxboro High School and posted 56 points in 39 games in his first regular season, plus two more points in two playoff games. That season was a very important step for Reager to take towards his eventual commitment to Post University. As the saying goes, “trust the process.”
“Without my time in the USPHL Elite division, I don’t think I would have been as successful in the Premier division,” said Reager. “When I first started playing juniors, I was not ready for the pace of play at the Premier level, and Elite helped me find my footing at that level. Being able to excel in the Elite division helped give me the confidence I was able to have playing Premier.”
Reager will not be going alone to Post, as he’ll be joined by fellow USPHL Premier Florida Division All-Star Sam Edmands.
“I am super excited to be playing with Sam Edmands next year. Playing with him last year was a blast. He’s a great teammate and a fantastic goalie. As a defenseman, having such a strong goalie behind me gave me the freedom to be more offensive, which is my strong suit,” Reager added. “I could always trust Sam to make saves he should, and also a lot of saves that were unbelievable. He erased a lot of mistakes we made as a team last year. I am confident he will do just as good in college and I am very excited I will get to be on his team again.”
They’re both going to be putting in the work this summer to serve Post when the fall season begins.
“Before I head into the college hockey season I want to get stronger,” said Reager. “Being a freshman, I know I will once again be younger just like when I started playing juniors. It was a hard adjustment getting used to players’ strength when I first started juniors, I think it will be the same way in college.”
The USPHL congratulates Eoin Reager, his family, the Atlanta MadHatters and Post University for his commitment.
